Exhaustion!!!

Deb73

Hi i got diagnosed with osteoarthritis just before the lockdown and i just wondered is feeling exhausted all the time quite common?
Thanks,, Deborah

Annj

Hi Deborah,

Yes, I think unfortunately feeling exhausted can be a feature of all forms of arthritis, including OA.

I've included a link to the section on OA the Versus Arthritis website here:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis/

Also a general section on fatigue, why it is a feature of arthritis, and how to manage it here:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-fatigue/

with best wishes,

Ann

Deb73

Thanks Ann,, its all a bit new for me,, im quite glad to be able to speak to people that are actually dealing with it too

Annj

I'm sure you will find this forum a good place to be, everyone remembers how they felt when they were first diagnosed and you will find a wealth of different experiences and friendly faces here. x

Deb73

Thats good to know i just feel like im constantly whinging about being in pain!!! My consultant says i can try steroid injections when things get back to normal but does this pain just stay all the time or will it come and go?

Mike1

Hi Deb. Regarding the pain, everyone is different and it depends on how bad you are, what you have been doing or not doing and a whole load of other variables. My OA is widespread and I am in constant pain, prescribed Morphine which only knocks the edge off. As for fatigue, yep I am pretty knackered the whole time; pain takes it out of you as does lack of sleep; I also have the symptoms of fibromyalgia but my GP will not run me through the tests so it is just a case of putting up with it. Lethargy is something else that some of us have as well. Deep joy.

Tyjen

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/666505#Comment_666505

Steriod injections dont work for everybody, I had them and they didnt help at all, I would never have them again.

Deb73

Hi mike thanks for the reply, do you mind me asking how long you've had it for because I've only had this for 6 months,, it started in my hip so my legs are in constant pain and now my hands are also hurting every day, im already wondering how people live with this!!!! And are you still able to work?

Deb73

Hi tyjen thanks for the reply, how many injections did you have before you decided not to have any more? And how do you control your pain then if you dont mind me asking?

Mike1

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/666531#Comment_666531

Hi, had OA for about 15 years, it started in my back as I also have Degenerative Facet Joint Disease and now it is almost everywhere! Had to give up work about 6 years ago, now a wheelchair user and have a mobility scooter as the DVLA withdrew my driving licence last October on health grounds.

Deb73

Oh wow sounds like youve had a rough ride of it,, im sorry to hear it, how do you cope with that?

hubie

Hi Deborah I've had OA for around 20 years now. Keep laughing and talking with friends is the best medicine. Any questions I can answer I would be only to happy to help.

Deb73

Hi Hubie,
Ah now that sounds like a plan!!! Thank you for that 😊.
Do you mind me asking how you cope with your pain?

hubie

Everyone deals with it in their own way. I've tried all the drugs on the market and found that the side effects affected me more than the pain. Get a routine of keeping as active as possible How are you sleeping?

Deb73

I am trying to be as mobile as possible but i struggle even walking to ny local shop and back which is like 5 minutes and i dont sleep well at all because the pain just wakes me up

hubie

What surgery are they they planing for you? I know it's not easy to keep moving as the pain isn't much fun but it is key.

Deb73

Well the consultant says to try the steroid injections obviously when this is all over and if they dont work he will look at a hip replacement,, have you had any surgery?

hubie

Yeah just a couple lol. I got both hips resurfaced that didn't work so I've got both hips replaced now. I'm 47 so Its been fun😁

Deb73

Ok what's hip resurfacing?? And wow ok im 46 so very similar age! When did you have the replacements done? And how have you been since then?

dreamdaisy

Hello, I began my first arthritis (psoriatic) when I was 37 then OA was diagnosed nine years ago when I was 52. I last slept the night through in July 2009, last night was a good one as I woke only four times. The meds I take for the psoriatic arthritis do nothing for the OA which I manage with rest, pain relief and exercise. My main coping strategy, however, is diistraction: if my brain is not focused on the pain it does not appear to be as bad.

Steroid injections - if they deign to work - can be very effective but they only disguise what is going on, not fix it. I've had a few over the years but the only one that 'worked' was into my right ankle, for a blissful three months that was pain free but then it all came back because that is what it does. I also took oral steroids but weaned myself off them because, like all steroids, they thin all body tissues plus feeling better in myself due to being hopped up is not the answer.

Arthritis is a hard task master. My first one did not come as a total shock due to my dodgy genetic inheritance but the OA did because I thought I had ticked the arthritis box. The pain is constant, unremitting, worsens but then subsides to its usual levels. Individual pain levels are hard to assess, one person's agony is another's mild twinge and pain relief merely dulls the sharper edges but my arthritis does not define me, has not changed the essential me. Yes, it has changed how I have to live my life but it has not changed what I get from life and never will. DD

Deb73

Hi Dreamdaisy,,
Thank you fot giving me the insight into whats been going on with you its much appreciated,
Its very helpful to hear how this is for other people and how it is sometimes different for different people,,
I think that you have a great attitude towards it,

hubie

I think they have stopped the resurfacing op as it wasn't as successful as a straight hip op. It's been 7 years since my last op and to be honest it isn't pain free but it is a lot better. Because you are the same age I know it can be a big shock thinking about what next but stay upbeat. Sleep is the biggest issue.

Deb73

Oh ok well im glad its helped you and to be honest i dint care what they do as long as it at least eases this pain a bit and i can feel a bit like myself again!
At the moment i even have to ask my son to do my shoes up and i cant lift the kettle which is bad because i cant function without tea 😂😂,
So just a bit of normality would be nice.
So do you have broken sleep because of pain or something else?

hubie

Yeah I've been there with the laces lol. My son used to have a laugh by setting things down low knowing couldn't get them. The problem is at night I've found the arthritis is the most aggressive I guess it needs no sleep lol.

Deb73

Ha ha at the moment my son feels sorry for me but im sure it wont be long until hes doing stuff like that😂😂,,
And yea it certainly doesn't need any sleep!!!
Are you working or are you off because of corona?

hubie

Yeah the corona has put us all on lockdown and this is the 1st Easter we have had no rain. Try to stay of the pain killers as much as possible. They stop having any affect after a while but they can be addictive.😁